Go home, Sasuke
by Sakura-Centric
Summary: Sweat glistened on her alabaster skin, her jade eyes cold and calculating as she sat up, the satin sheets pooling around her hips, silky tendrils of pastel hair covering her eyes. The raven-haired teen beside her watched the woman he adored face him, eyes void of all emotion, "Go home, Sasuke." With her words he cracked, and vowed to claim her heart as he had when they were genin.
1. Skylight

_**Go Home, Sasuke**_

**Summary: Sasuke and Hebi were traveling through Ami, catching wind that the Akatsuki were being spotted on a regular basis there, although what he found was something he'd never expect, or rather, **_**someone.**_

_**WARNING: **_Dark themes and extreme sexual references, those under the age of 18 should not read this literature.

**I DO NOT, NOR DO I CLAIM TO, OWN NARUTO**

_Chapter One; Skylight_

**Ame Border, 5:01 AM.**

Sun streamed in through the windows, as they did every morning. Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling the vibrations of animals moving through the wilderness, the quavers in the air from the constant humming of birds, he could hear the breathing of his slumbering teammates, he could feel, see, and hear _everything_. Nothing escaped his consciousness.

One of his teammates shifted, it was Jugo, Sasuke could tell by the odd fluctuations in his chakra, the way that it constantly fought against itself. Out of the four of team Hebi, Jugo's curse mark seemed to be the most unstable. Turning him into a beast, which attacks anything and everything, there is no friend or foe in his mind, although Sasuke could say he wasn't much different from the beast Jugo turns into.

He felt nothing for anyone, no sorrow, no remorse, no need.

He had no friends, no foes, only one person mattered to him, and would ever matte to him, and that person would be his brother, killing his brother was and will the remain the one goal he carries through his life with him, as long as he accomplishes his goal, his revenge, _nothing else matters. _

The clank of the door of the cabin closing rustled the other two Hebi members from their sleep, first Suigetsu, then Karin, both instantly awake, both ready to attack. We all needed to be on edge today.

"Are you ready to leave, Sasuke-Sama?" Jugo's soft but calloused voice found way to the second-borne Uchiha son, who in response leapt from his perch in the crook of branches, gracefully and without a sound landing before the orange haired man, nearly a head taller than the Uchiha.

"Hn." He nodded, to be honest Jugo was the more bearable member of his team, silent, knew when to hold his tongue, but didn't lag behind in battle, although he constantly lost himself, sharringan could neutralize the problem quickly and efficiently. Karin was useful, there was no doubt in that, a medic was always useful when living the life he had chosen and her tracking skills were unmatched. Her other uses stretched to entertaining Sasuke's urges if he needed to a disposable pawn. Although she had made a habit out of pestering and annoying him to dangerous levels. Suigetsu wasn't the most loyal, but a formidable opponent for anyone whom chose to enter battle with him, excluding the Uchiha himself, of course.

All and all he had chosen an adequate team of Nin from Orochimaru's lab, all expendable, but useful for the time being, and after he completed his goal, they were free to go and pursue whatever they found fit. As long as he finished his goal and killed his brother, he could care less.

At that moment Karin and Suigetsu emerged, already bickering over a snide comment Suigetsu had made toward Karin's promiscuity. Sasuke shot a glance to Suigetsu to silence him, and turned on his heels, preparing to launch himself in the density of trees, knowing the others would follow him, they had been briefed on the destination of their mission yesterday and the proper etiquette to use.

He launched himself into the trees, the beat of his teammate's footsteps fell in sync with his own, flying through the treetops, no sound but the rustling of leaves in their wake, they were silent as death.

One thought nestled within the mind of the young Uchiha, _Itachi, I'm coming for you._

**Ame Pub, 9:54 PM.**

"We've been here all day, and haven't seen a single Akatsuki all day! You sure the tip you got was reliable?" Suigetsu grunted, waving at a blonde haired waitress with a wink, as he awaited his beer. Karin to his left, Jugo to his right, Sasuke was seated at the far end by the crimson haired woman who continuously messed with the lavender glasses hanging on the bridge of her nose, snaking glances at her raven-haired team leader. She always _had_ liked a man in charge.

"Hn." Sasuke snorted, sipping his cup of Sake slowly, onyx eyes scanning the pub continuously, watching the skimpily dressed Geisha's dance before crowds of drunken men, smoke from pipe weed hung heavy in the air, generating a thick atmosphere.

"Ugh! When do we get to leave, Sasuke-Kun? The rain is messing up my hair!" Karin pouted, attempting to pull out a knot from her long crimson locks, hanging in still wet sections, the side of her hair which was normally left unkempt seemed clumped together in some parts, her red eyes narrowed in frustration as she tried to pull apart the knots, yelping when it pulled out several strands of hair.

Sasuke, uncaring of his teammate's remarks remained aloof, watching the room with a bored expression on his face, "We will leave when I say so." He answered calmly, not the least bit concerned about his team's childish whining, they were shinobi, it wasn't supposed to be enjoyable.

Bells chimed as a brown haired Geisha's eyes fell on the lone Uchiha, paying no mind to the woman beside him as she strode towards him, her icy blue eyes shimmering with promise of fantasy as her hips swayed to the tempo of the music, Sasuke's crimson eyes catching hers, she smiled at him, slowly coming to loom over him, her large bust showing from the sheer red fabrics of her robes.

"Hello handsome, never seen you before." She purred, her fingers coming to brush feather-light touches over his bare chest, her eyes showing her full intentions as she lent forwards to push her chest up against the Uchiha, his eyes showing he wasn't impressed in the slightest.

A loud snarl broke through the air and in an instant the woman who was assaulting Sasuke's hormones was on her back, kunai lodged into her neck, blood spurting from the wound, she gargled and twitched for a few moments, but soon went slack, the kunai was a kill shot, sloppily portrayed, but still a kill shot.

"Karin, if you cause another scene to draw attention to us, I will kill you." Sasuke's smooth voice came out in a calm monotone, but there were acidic underlines telling her it was not a threat, but a promise, she felt tears prickle in her crimson eyes, but tried to push them back, why was Sasuke-kun always mad at her? That woman was practically throwing herself at him!

Suigetsu let out a low whistle, noticing no one in the room tossed at the woman now lying dead on the floor of the pub, in fact, a large bouncer came by and threw the lifeless woman over his shoulder, before disappearing through one of the back doors, no doubt disposing of the body. "I like it here." Suigetsu grinned, always one to support bloodshed of any kind, for whatever the reason.

Karin snorted in response and went back to fiddling with her glasses, although none of the Geisha's approached them, Sasuke noticed the scared, guarded looks they were shooting him, as if he were going to kill them all, although technically she was the one to killed the girl, they placed blame in him, typical.

Sasuke continued to sip his sake, watching one cup slowly turn to two, then three. Alcohol burned quickly in his system, though he'd be lying if he said he didn't thoroughly enjoy the slightly hazed feeling it brought on, Sasuke never particularly enjoyed being drunk.

Suigetsu on the other hand, had downed at least seven beers, and showed absolutely no sign of stopping any time soon, harassing every waitress that came along, until an airy looking blonde approached him, she was a tiny excuse for a woman, her breasts weren't ample, nor were her curves, but surely in Suigetsu's drunken gaze they were sufficient, soon the two escaped together.

Sasuke snorted at the sight and swirled the remainder of his Sake around the bottom of the clear glass, the warm liquid already brining a pleasant hum to the back of his head. His gauze shifted warily to Karin, who would most likely be the outlet of his sexual needs tonight.

He sighed, noting that Jugo left hours ago, he hadn't drank anything, a wise choice for someone with a curse such as his, Sasuke would have been thoroughly annoyed if he had to subdue his orange-haired teammate once more.

A soft chime alerted that someone had entered the pub, and the nicely buzzed Uchiha's eyes shifted to the door. A mess of pink hair and he was alert in an instant, hiding the charge of his chakra in an instant, sighing in annoyance, he wasn't going to hide, no, Sasuke Uchiha did not hide, he just didn't feel the need to have one of _those_ conversations with his former teammate.

He instantly noticed something about her, she looked so- different. Slender, she was a good head and a half shorter than him, a good head shorter than Karin, she was tiny, with slender arms and legs, her chest however was ample, she wore black cargo pants, covered in pockets and chains, standard navy blue combat sandals, she wore a sheer fishnet T-shirt, crimson bindings covering her chest down to just above her bellybutton could easily be seen.

Her hair had turned a dull, subtle pink with an immense silver-sheen to it; it hung around her hips in straight tendrils, looking silky to the touch. Her eyes shifted through the room like a lioness on the hunt, voluminous black lashes framed sea foam green orbs.

He held no feelings for the woman, but she was undeniably attractive.

Silence overcame the room, even the music seemed to hush as she slowly began her walk to the bar, her footsteps light on the hardwood floor, people scrambled to move out of her path, she paid them no mind as she took a lone seat at the far end of the bar, some men even gasped as if the grim reaper itself entered, and he noticed that Karin had her eyes locked on Sakura in some kind of curious glance.

Se soon found he was almost curious as to why these people seemed to fear the pinkette so much, from what he remembered her skills were average at best. Something else came to his attention- she wore no headband, had she become a rogue? Wouldn't she have just slashed her headband then? No, Sakura was too loyal to the village to become a rogue Nin, although he had noticed that his old team hadn't come looking for him in nearly two years, and even then the attempt had been acted out by Naruto and Kakashi, no Sakura present.

_Strange,_ he thought, sipping the Sake in cup once more, the tempo of the music grew louder and everyone in the room seemed to re-gain drunken composure, although the anxiety in the air was so thick you could practically _taste _the fear. His eyes drifted lazily to the woman beside him, now would be a good time to leave the pub, before a scene was made once again.

But Sasuke's mind was swimming with questions once more, and he didn't seem to be making much progress here either way, so he languidly turned to the crimson eyed woman beside him, hope swimming in their depths as she glanced back with a small smile, "Karin, go to the Inn, I'll meet you there." He said smoothly, already standing from his bar stool and making his way to the woman of interest when Karin's small hand caught his wrist, her eyes prickling with tears.

"I don't want you to talk to her, Sasuke-Kun." She whispered, her eyes full of hope that just this one time, he would choose her, actually want to be with her, she remembered that woman, it was his old teammate, although she couldn't quite remember her name, she would be damned if she lost Sasuke to that _bitch_.

Sasuke yanked his hand from the woman's grasp, causing her to stumble with a yelp, not batting an eyelash as she wavered, not making a move to stop her from falling. "Go, Karin. What you want means nothing to me." He answered truthfully, watching the sad expression she usually wore when he rejected her cross her face as she nodded and disappeared through the doors of the pub.

It was an odd feeling, approaching Sakura, considering when he'd encountered his teammates they were begging for him to come home, for something he couldn't do, not for them, not for anyone. His stride was powerful, bringing on the eyes of admiring women as he slid into a seat beside the pinkette, daft to his presence, either she was blatantly ignoring him, or really didn't know he was there, the second option was plausible.

"What is it you want, Sasuke?" Her voice came, she was already annoyed, the second she entered Ame she could practically _smell_ the Uchiha blood in the air, and it certainly brought back memories, memories she'd spent years trying to burn and hide. And here Sasuke was, sitting beside her like an old friend, or an old foe, she wasn't sure.

"Hn," He snorted, she knew he was surprised by her reply, and it caused a bitter smirk to touch her lips, she didn't bare look at him, not those sharringan eyes… they would never look the same to her again. She downed some of the Sake from the bottle the bartender had dropped before her, before wiping a drop from the corner of her mouth and lazily watching the Uchiha from the corner of her eye.

"Did you expect me to throw myself at you, begging you to go back to Konoha?" She said coldly, her sorrow filled eyes glancing down into the swirling bottle of milky liquid that felt so warm in her hands, as if she could find all the answers in that very bottle.

"Hn." He repeated, stunned at her cold aura, as if she hadn't spent most of her genin years hunting him down, what happened to her? "Where's your headband?" He questioned pointedly, growing increasingly annoyed and curious for some reason.

She smirked, a glint of something he didn't recognize flashed through her lusterless eyes, "If I didn't know better I'd think you actually cared why I _don't_ have my headband. The only reason you do anything is because you want something, so what is it you want from me, Sasuke?"

His gaze became sharp. This woman's words were becoming harsher and more constant as the seconds ticked by, the contemplated just walking away, but he was an Uchiha, and Uchiha's _always_ got what they wanted, he wanted answers, and she would give them to him.

"Why don't you wear your headband?" He repeated icily, watching her sigh and take another long drink from the bottle before her, clearly she wasn't in need of a glass, she had downed more than half of the bottle of the milky liquid.

"I don't belong to a village." She spoke evenly, as if it were as normal as talking about the weather.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, preparing to continue to ask his old teammate more questions, but her hand slammed on the table, paying her bill she stood, smoothing out her pants before beginning to leave the bar, but paused, inclining her head to the side, although her eyes did not meet Sasuke's.

"It was… nice seeing you, Sasuke." She spoke somewhat brokenly, before disappearing within the waves of people, who still moved from her path timidly, as if she were a tiger stalking through the jungle, and they were timid antelope.

He turned, staring at the spot where she once sat, watching the elderly bartender come up, a fond smile in his brown eyes as he cleaned off the surface of the bar, every not and again his gaze spread to the Uchiha, having enough of his timid staring, Sasuke finally snapped, "What?"

The old man didn't even seem stunned by the Uchiha's annoyed comment, he continued wiping away dust with a small smile, "It's nothing. It's just… I haven't seen Taiga talk to anyone besides the young man with the red eyes, come to think of it; I haven't seen hind or hair of him in a long time." The old man pondered, fingers brushing over his chin in thought.

Sasuke's head spun, and without thinking he had the old man grabbed by the collar of his shirt, his face twisted into an ugly presence of blind fury as he hoisted the old man into the air, "What was his name?"

"I don't know, young man. Come to think of it, he looked just like you, only- he had scars near his eyes." The old man spoke calmly.

Sasuke dropped him, and in a flash he was out into the raining streets of Ame, the skyscraping buildings and blinding neon lights seeming to fade into nothing as he searched for the pinkette in the streets, her chakra hadn't left a trace, no scent, she was gone.

She had been in that pub with his brother; she had known were his brother was. She had spoken to him and not said a word about his brother, how fucking dare she! She withheld information he'd spent his life searching for!

He calmed himself, a sadistic smirk touching his lips as he stood in the streets, rain pelted the back of his shirt, causing the loose white fabric to cling to him, He would wait for her, visit the pub every night if he had to, he would see her again.

**Ame apartment complex, 1:15 am.**

Her sea foam green eyes darkened to a jade as she looked down at her hands with such disdain, they illuminated with green chakra, her eyes were empty, dull, and lifeless. She pulled her knees to her chest; she was currently seated on her uncomfortable white couch.

Why did she have to see Sasuke tonight? He looks so much like _him_, the raven hair, the crimson sharringan eyes… She heaved a soft sigh and turned to stare out of the sliding back door that lead to her balcony, rain fell in sheets, they clouded skies held a yellowish hue as the rain blew against the door, blurring her vision of the outside world.

A soft tune filled the silent home of Sakura Haruno as she hummed a lullaby her mother had taught her when she was a child, a lullaby of great sadness for Sakura. Her bleak eyes seemed to further dull as she reached into her pocket, pulling out a headband-

_His_ headband, her slender porcelain fingers slid over the slash in the middle. The leaf symbol never looked so sickening to her, she pulled out her own headband, the scarlet ribbon seeming even more ironic as she touched it's unscathed surface.

"This world is rotten."

**0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

**New story…. I am so irresponsible. Heh, I actually have somewhere to go with this one though, folks!**

**Read and Review.**

**-Sakura-Centric**


	2. Crows

_**Go Home, Sasuke**_

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_Chapter Two; Crows _

**Ame apartment complex, 10:14 AM.**

Sakura woke to a cold wind drifting through the building, she lent forward, reaching for her pack of cigarettes that resting on the coffee table, amazed she'd been able to fall asleep on her lumpy, painfully uncomfortable couch _again_. She slept here ritually; it brought back memories of a better time-

She buried away the thoughts immediately as she felt the memories begin to pull at her heartstrings. Scratching the back of her head aimlessly, she pulled one of the cigarettes from her pack with alight hum. Closing her eyes, enjoying the potent smell of rain and it's thrumming on the roof of her apartment.

Her bones ached. That group of bandits she attacked on Ame border yesterday was a pain in the ass; one of those fuckers actually _broke her collar bone_ with his big monster-hands. She let out a tired sigh and lit the cigarette between her lips, inhaling the comforting smoke as she lent back on the couch, her head resting on the back as she stared at the ceiling. "Kami, I'm getting too old for this." She sighed, looking at the water stain on the ceiling; she just didn't care enough about a leaky roof to fix it.

"You're only twenty, don't bitch, kitten. Try being as old as I am, doing what I have to do." A throaty, manly voice spoke from behind her, and without inclining her head Sakura brought the cigarette back to her lips, inhaling once more before a small, sad smile curled at her lips as she spoke to her old friend.

"Hey Kisame, haven't seen you in a while." She said, smoke curling from her light pink lips.

The seat on the couch beside her sank considerably as the giant mist-nin plopped down, closing his pearl colored eyes as he shrugged nonchalantly, "I've been in Oto for a while, Leader-Sama wanted to make sure Orochimaru didn't have any information on us before he died that could have been found."

A small, sad chuckle escaped the pinkette's lips, "In other words you went to burn it to the ground."

A hearty laugh shook the couch and he threw an arm over the pinkette, who flinched slightly, neck sore from sleeping on the damn couch, _again_. She was a masochist that was certain. "You know it, kitten." He agreed, before his gaze turned wary and he shifted uncomfortably on the furniture, Sakura noticed imminently and sighed, snuffing out her cigarette on the end of her coffee table before turning to face the blue-skinned ex mist nin,

"What's broken?"

He laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, "Basically everything except my right arm and spine."

The pinkette raked a hand over her face and let it slide through her hair, pushing back her silvery-pink strands, annoyance clear on her features as she pumped chakra into her hands and set off to work, Kisame's silence was enough to assure her he was sorry for being such a pain in the ass.

As she was healing his horribly twisted ankle (Wandering how he even managed to walk around like this so long.) she felt his gaze on her again, she knew that look, and instantly her own gaze went icy. "I'm _fine_, Kisame."

His snort of disapproval was uttered as he stared down at his long-time friend, almost like a little sister to him. He'd come to know her very well over the years and after _the incident_ in Iwa she has never been the same. She was a happy little hellion when he met her, full of life and enough light to touch even the darkest shinobi's heart, now… it was like looking at the ruble of a once great castle. "It wasn't your fault." He spoke lowly, carefully, noticing how she lowered her head, her chakra wavering slightly.

"I could have done so much more for him, but he just wouldn't let me, he- he chose to die that night Kisame." She whispered, he could feel the droplets of her crystalline tears on his ankle, now healed, he wrapped an arm around the much smaller kunoichi and pulled her into his lap, cradling her like a mother would a child, rocking her back and forth, stroking her hair, whispering sweet nothings just because _she meant that much to him_. He'd lost a lot of friends and she was the closest he could consider to family, it bothered him to no end to see her like this.

_Damn it, Itachi. Couldn't you have just let her save you? _He thought sadly as he clutched the sobbing kunoichi closer, knowing she was far too broken to ever come out of the walls she had built around herself.

She continued to heal him, even though she was a crying, shaking mess she healed all of his wounds in a matter of seconds, her chakra; usually warm and amazing feeling, had become cold, almost foreboding, as if it knew it wasn't nearly as pure as it once was. The large man grunted and continued to stroke her hair as she rested against him, she was the size of a doll compared to him. "Leader-Sama says the invitation is still open to become a full-fledged member, he actually seemed concerned for you Sak, we all are."

A sad smile touched her lips, something that would break the heart of a lesser man, "No, Kisame. I will heal any of you on any given day, take missions from Leader-Sama when he needs a helping hand, but no, I don't think I could carry the burden of those robes." She smiled sadly.

Kisame nodded, not pushing the subject any further. Sakura was by far the greatest medic in the five nations, to a point where the fifth Hokage couldn't hold a candle to her skill, it was such a waste to have her just living out her days on lackey missions and doing simple healings for the Akatsuki, but these robes did bear the weight of the world, and if he could, Kisame would shed them in an instant, but if you're in, you're in. No going back.

The blue-skinned giant let out a sigh as the pinkette emitted her last sniffle and wiped her eyes, crawling off his lap to plop down beside him, shifting through one of her pockets before pulling out a small, sheer orange bottle of painkillers, "Here." She mumbled tiredly, bringing a hand to her aching temples, everything seemed to give her a headache these days.

As Kisame's large hand rubbed soothing circles on her aching shoulder blades, she sighed. She felt so _old._ She couldn't pin why, but it never seemed to cease, even when she wasn't in Ame, she could hear the rain, smell it, feel the chill on her skin.

"Meet me at the pub tonight? I need a drink or something, but I've got a quick mission to complete, I guess I missed some of the bandits." She sighed, reaching over to grab a sword of equal reputation to the ex-mist Nin's Samehada, with a single hand. Gleaming in the light as she rested the flat surface of the blade on her shoulder, looking so tiny and delicate compared to the massive sword, perhaps a bit larger than the Demon of the Mist, Zabuza Mamoichi's own sword.

He grinned and nodded, "Sak, you were meant to be one of the Seven Swordsmen." He winked playfully, admiring the sword openly, hell, he helped her craft the damn thing, trained her to be a sword wielding little vixen.

"You keep calling me Sakura in public and people are going to get confused, Kisame." The pinkette sighed, rubbing her aching temples once more.

A powerful, throaty laugh escaped his lips and he ruffled the pinkette's hair, "Whatever you want, kitten. Or should I call you _Taiga_?" He offered one last sharky grin at the pinkette before disappearing off the balcony, as silently as he had come.

The pinkette offered one last longing glance at her scarlet leaf headband. Grabbing her pack of cigarettes, quickly lighting one between her lips before disappearing through the door, sword resting on her delicate shoulder, the weight of Itachi's headband in her pocket heavier than usual.

The air seemed… thicker today. Sakura closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of rain and the smell of cigarette smoke, her hair dripping with water, as were her clothes as she sat in the crook of a tree, one leg outstretched, one bent where her elbow rested lazily, sword sheathed on her back as she sat at her perch.

These bandits really weren't the smartest, but their persistence was admirable, she had slaughtered nearly sixty men yesterday with a single lightning jutsu, and eight had _barley_ gotten away, yet, they continued to attack Ame trade routes, hassling travelers and carriages. Yes, ever the persistent, these bandits.

Smoke swirled around her like a halo as her cold gaze rested on the ground below her. Sighing as she felt the oncoming chakra presence, well- it wasn't really oncoming, he was neatly one hundred and seventy-five feet away, but he was coming in her direction.

"People are so persistent these days." She sighed warily, waiting for her onyx haired walking memory near her, promising more pain every time she looked into those eyes, those _sharringan_ eyes.

A lone crow circled above her, outstretching a graceful porcelain hand she watched the crow land, curling its claws around her fingers to stabilize itself, Sakura's lips curled into a sad smile and she petted the creature fondly, it lent its head adoringly into her touch.

Itachi had always found it ironic how quickly crows had taken to Sakura.

_They could probably smell the death on her_.

**Ame Border, 12:45 PM**

"She's this way," Karin nodded; she could smell the pink-haired bitch's chakra a mile away. She didn't like the woman, but her chakra smelled _delicious_. It was sweet and floral and powerful, not as powerful as Sasuke-kun's, of course, but for a weak Konoha ninja, powerful.

"You sure Karin? You said that like fifty times, but we haven't seen her!" Suigetsu grumbled, crossing his arms with a huff, this woman was probably making them run in cycles because she didn't want her '_Precious Sasuke-Kun'_ to find that pink haired teammate of his, who was she anyway? Probably a hottie considering how worked up Karin got about having to track her.

"Yes, Fish face, I'm sure. She's a few miles into the forest." The crimson haired woman spat. Suigetsu needed to quit doubting her skills, why would Orochimaru-Sama have kept her so close if she wasn't useful! Second only to that asshole Kabuto. Karin snorted, remembering the white-haired asshole, which was one person she definitely wouldn't miss.

Jugo remained silent, although looked increasingly uncomfortable. Sasuke's ominously calm gaze fell on his teammate, who shifted uncomfortably as soon as he noticed Sasuke's inters was upon him, Sasuke's eyes snapped away and he unsheathed his katana. "Karin, stay back with Jugo, make sure he remains stable. Suigetsu, scout the perimeter, kill anyone who tries to intervene, she can't be alone." Sasuke's icy tone left no room for argument, and without a word, the three members of Hebi took the orders they were given without complaint, understanding that when it came to Sasuke's revenge, it was best to stay out of the way.

Sasuke's teeth grit as he tried to regain some sort of reign over his anger. He just couldn't understand why Sakura was with Itachi; clearly he had been seen with her several times, why did the bartender call her Taiga? Who was she hiding from? Damn that girl, she was worming her way into his mind.

He could feel her chakra presence; it flowed like water, soothing, silent.

His nostrils flared as he felt his adrenaline go wild, trying desperately to keep his curse seal from spreading in his blind fury, he needed answers, she had more than he thought she did, _he had to know_, he couldn't loose this opportunity, he hadn't heard of Itachi's whereabouts in the past year, it was like he dropped off the face of the earth.

He stepped back calmly as a delicate figure dropped from her perch in the tree, her eyes as cold an uncaring as the night before, but some kind of sorrow lingered there, a giant sword, perhaps bigger than Suigetsu's was unsheathed and resting on her shoulder, she seemed to have no trouble holding the large sword, seeing as she could balance it in one, and Suigetsu had difficulty wielding his own with two hands.

"Need something?" Her voice was leveled and calm as her Sea-foam colored eyes showed nothing of her feelings, they were dull, lifeless, and _calm_. The way she looked at him… it was the way he had looked at Sakura when they were genin, when she would constantly try to include him, to talk to him, to love him, but Sasuke didn't plan to do anything like that.

He would get the answers he came for, and she would not interfere. He will find his brother, weather or not he happened to befriend one of his teammates, he would cut down anyone in his way, she was no exception.

She saw the look in his eyes, the same look he had when he spoke of his brother, the same look he had in his eyes when Sai, Naruto and herself had blown up Orochimaru's base and found him, the look of captive insanity.

It riled something inside of her as his hand clamped around her throat, she was shoved against the rough surface of a tree, pain shook through her skull but chakra was there in an instant, it was pure instinct now; she didn't even need her hands. The look in his eyes- those shimmering crimson depths, for an instant, his face came into view, and then something happened to destroy that image: The complete look of pure rage on his face.

He was _nothing_ like Itachi.

Something pumped through her cold, dead veins then, something she hadn't felt in a long time, something she hadn't the use to feel in a long time, rage, in nearly half a second Sasuke was on his back, restrained by her chakra enhanced heel on his chest, His sword in her hands and her emerald eyes buried in his crimson.

"Itachi is dead." The words were final, spoken bitterly as if they were acidic to her tongue, Sasuke's thoughts split, everything stopped, his heart, his mind; he died in that moment, and lost himself within the curse mark. All he could see was blackness.

Sakura had seen the purple hue of his poisoned chakra, the black inky spots spreading across his skin like an illness, but as it began to turn a sickly grey, the white of his eyes blackening, his hair lengthening as it began turning a spiky navy blue, hideous claw-like wings splitting from his back, a black cross-like marking forming in the center of his face as his lips took an a dark blue color.

She was silent, not prepared for her former teammate to turn into a monster, exactly. But whatever he looked like, he was still Sasuke. The avenger she had admired when young, who she loved when she was younger, the child she had shamelessly shed tears for after his departure. He was not Itachi Uchiha. And while she could have said it kinder, he had the right to know his brother was dead, no matter how much pain it caused him, he deserved to know how much time he's wasted.

She knelt down before Sasuke's monstrous form; it would certainly be a strange sight, like a tiger cub trying to console a bear. Her gloved hand reached out, and began to gently stroke the silky locks, his eyes shifted from left to right as he continued to seize and morph.

_Should I subdue the seal with the state he's in? _She thought, aimlessly continuing to stroke the seizing man's hair nonchalantly, as if she wasn't watching one of the two last Uchiha's turn into a monster of Orochimaru's design. Although she had seen far worse to be scathed by something as casual as this little display.

She let out an annoyed sigh and tiredly eyed the Uchiha, who was probably more than less conscious of her mere presence at the moment; he looked like he had a lot on his mind at the moment, with the whole 'curse-seal-is-devouring-my-mind' thing.

"You know, this is a real pain in the ass, Sasuke. I'm not like you or Naruto; I don't have enough chakra to throw around whenever I want." She murmured, her hands traveling down the curve of his neck to rest on his curse mark, the other still soothingly stroking his hair, although she wasn't sure which one of them she was soothing, him or herself?

She bit into the pad of her thumb with a grunt, swiping it over his curse mark; you needed to give a little to get something, ne? As she made single handed seals with the hand that once petted Sasuke's head, her eyes bored and unreadable as her other hand touched over the curse mark, a flash of a blue glow and Sasuke was lying on the ground, his usual old Uchiha self, with Sakura's own seal around his original curse mark, a sheet of sweat covered his skin and his breathing was a bit more labored, but other than that he was lying on the ground with his eyes closed.

Sakura sighed and stood, crossing her arms as she looked down at the young Uchiha, her thinly sculpted pink eyebrow risen in curiosity, was he just going to lay there, well, he certainly took this better than she had.

He couldn't move, he had nearly lost himself in the curse mark, Sakura had- She subdued it, how the hell, in two days, had all of this happened. His entire world was crashing around his ankles, apparently Itachi was dead, so he had no reason to breathe anymore escaping the fact that he would need to rebuild his clan.

"You're lying." His words were laced with denial, the way she said it, the look in her eyes, told him everything he needed to know. He just couldn't. He didn't want to. He felt nothing. He couldn't feel everything. This was worse than the massacre, worse than seeing his brother strike down his entire family in Tsukuyomi; this was one of his childhood comrades tell him his brother had died before he got his revenge, telling him he would _never_ get his revenge. He couldn't believe it, because if he did, his mind would shatter completely.

Sakura let out an annoyed breath she didn't realize she was holding, and her eyes narrowed a fraction, not going unseen by Sasuke's swirling, unforgiving crimson eyes. He would remember this day for the rest of his life, weather or not he knew it now.

"I watched him die with my own two eyes, foolish little boy." She spoke, and with that… her finger touched the surface of his forehead, a simple, single touch that had meant everything to Sasuke, broke Sasuke's mind, the words- they were practically coming from his brother's mouth, he had nothing left to say. No rage, no remorse, no happiness, nothing. _He felt nothing. _

Sakura's heart hit her ribcage, tears hiding behind her eyes, begging to get out. They were words she never thought she'd have to speak, she had pushed the pain behind the bars of her mind, trying to pretend they didn't rip out her very fucking soul to speak, but pretending only gets you so far.

"How?" Sasuke's voice was cold, distant, and raspy. Sakura wanted to console her childhood friend and love, but she couldn't. She couldn't bear to, she was tainted, and no matter how tainted he was, he would never let someone he cared for die before his eyes, no, Sasuke Uchiha would be the kind of man to turn his back if you were dying, so he wouldn't have to see. Sakura Haruno watched the life drain from their eyes in agony; Sakura Haruno was _not _Sasuke Uchiha.

"Because I killed him." The words left a salty taste in her mouth, but her mask had fallen, sorrow filled her eyes, the words hurt more than anything to speak, but in a way, she had killed him, she had killed Itachi Uchiha, but doing nothing, by not fighting against his wishes to allow him to die, by not defying him, she had killed him.

And she would never forgive herself for it.

"Oh." Sasuke's voice broke, and a tear slipped down his cheek, followed by another, agony went rigid through him, although he remained still, the pain in his chest was worse than anything he had ever experienced, the curse mark, his family's death, any pain he had ever endured in battle. He _longed_ to feel, feel something besides pain.

Sakura remained silent, knowing the look on his face. Most would have expected him to attack her, hell, she expected him to attack her, but right now, there was nothing to feel. He had lost more than she could imagine, his entire life revolved around killing Itachi, and the universe had stolen him in a sequence of completely irrelevant events, leading up to the biggest fucking traumatic moment of her life. Sasuke wasn't even fighting the pain, he had nothing now. Sakura knelt down beside him, eyes dull and unreadable as she began to stroke his hair, not out of adoration, Sasuke knew that much, so did she. But out of longing to feel comfort, to feel something.

Sasuke would have taken comfort from any woman, the fact that Sakura happened to be that woman didn't change anything, he simply needed something, _anything _to assure him he was still connected to this earth, that his body was still _here_. He leaned into her touch, it was warm, a medic's touch.

It was odd to look at one you once loved and feel nothing, although Sakura really didn't have much left in her to allow her to feel. She felt Sasuke lean in to her touch, and slowly, robotically lowered her head to his chest, closing her eyes at the contact, his hand came to the back of her head, stroking it softly, enjoying the feeling of her silky strands between his fingers.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, listening to his heart beat in his chest, he smelled of rain, of spices and sweat, darkness and power. Her eyes closed, and she listened to the achingly slow beats of his heart, wandering how seeing an old teammate at the bar would end up with her telling Sasuke that she watched his brother die right before her eyes, and did nothing to stop it.

"Aa." His words were empty, as if he wasn't listening to her words. He probably wasn't, he was feeling nothing at the moment, it felt like he had been submerged beneath water and everything was a distant echo.

A sad lullaby filled his senses, and he snapped back to reality, the moment of comfort shared with his teammate ended with him gently pushing her away, she didn't say a word, her eyes just as achingly sorrow as before, eyes that could tame the beast within him, eyes that _did_ contain the beast.

He looked at her, her eyes traveled to the sky, which is when she realized it wasn't raining, the clouds remained in the sky, but some rays of sunshine slipped through the cracks. _How odd_, she thought.

Sasuke watched her predatorily, she was achingly beautiful. Her silvery strands pooled around her, seeming more silver than pink when actually seen in the light, the damp grass around her, a staking contrast to the silky tendrils that he longed to touch once more. But he restrained himself. He didn't care for her, and although he didn't offer other women the same pleasantries, he wouldn't get her hopes up.

As she lowered her gaze from the sky to rest on the young Uchiha, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, within those aching jade eyes rested a kind of longing, he could see what he saw in her, she outstretched a hand to him, forgetting about the bandits, someone had killed them about an hour ago when she subdued Sasuke's curse mark, one of the members of his team, no doubt.

**(A/N: Props to Suigetsu for that, heh)**

Sakura was the furthest thing to religious, she liked to blame Kami for her mistakes, but it was just a habit or furthermore an ironic statement used to relieve anger and have someone to blame when there was no one else, but at that moment, she never thought she would need some unseen force of nature to help her. Sasuke ripped down every fucking wall she built, in two days.

The second she saw him in the bar she remembered everything she had tried so _desperately _to forget, everything she had ignored and buried into her subconscious, she knew she would have to face him someday, and even though she fucking hoped and preyed she wouldn't have to, she knew somehow she would be the one to have to tell Sasuke the truth.

But those eyes- his hair, his face, everything about him was so much like Itachi, but so different, all she could see when she looked at Sasuke was her many, many mistakes, and how she could never bear to make them ever again.

"_Never let someone you love die, Sakura."_ Tsunade's old words etched into her skull like they had been carved there, she would never forget them. Even though she had left her old life behind, for reasons far too personal for her ever to reveal, Tsunade would be appalled that her student was making the same mistakes as her, going down the same road, if she wasn't already.

Sakura's fingers twitched with the urge to touch, to feel, to be touched, and Sasuke just so happened to be the closest thing in range, the fact that it was Sasuke didn't mean shit, it was a living, breathing person. She would have looked for comfort in _Zetsu_ at a moment like this, when she was at her weakest, Damn Sasuke, damn him to hell.

"I wish I had never met you." The words escaped her lips, and in all honesty, they were truthful, her entire world revolved around the day she was assigned to team seven, the day they were all bonded together, the day her fate had been etched in stone, her hand cupped his cheek as she lent forward, eyes half lidded.

Sasuke's own eyes closed, "I wish I had never met you." He repeated her words, truthfully, before claiming her lips, the taste was unforgettable, warm, like ice on a burn they brought him out of his agonizing haze, he had lost everything, power meant nothing, honor meant nothing, answers meant nothing.

Right now, all that mattered was the touch of another human being, something to prove everything was real and not a dream, something to prove he could still move his limbs, anything to make him feel.

It had nothing to do with feelings, nothing to do with thoughts, Only instinct, touch, taste, scent, hearing, basic instincts, Sasuke's thoughts had shut down, and he was moving on instinct, hand fisting in her silky strands, from the position she was, resting on both knees, he didn't need to lean down as much, his legs sprawled out on either side of her as he kissed her.

Her scent filled his senses, floral, cooling. Her taste, like Sake and blood, and sugar, delicious. Her hair was silky, he couldn't stop touching it, hand fisted into it for dear life as tears slipped from his eyes in pure agony, some slipped from her own, and soon he could taste the salty mixture of their tears.

He pulled away, standing from his position, she followed his movements, his back was turned to her, his voice empty, lifeless, he had no reason to live any longer, his revenge had been stolen from him by his pink haired ex teammate, but there was no use in killing her now, he had no honor to gain from that.

"I hate you, Sakura." The words slipped from his lips effortlessly, the words rolled off his tongue, when you live in a world of hate, it doesn't matter if it's true or not, when you tell someone you hate them, you can always feel it toward them, simply because you're overflowing with it.

"I hate you too, Sasuke."

With her parting words, he disappeared, going to Hebi, to disband, or something. His life was his own now, his shameful, honor-less life was his to live now.

Sakura sheathed her sword, pulling Sasuke's katana from the tree it had embedded itself in when she tossed it, nearly burying itself to the hilt, with little force and a soft grunt it was free from the tree.

She stared at the weapon a moment before gently placing it in the shade of the tree before her, where the mark from the sword remained, with a soft prayer and Sasuke's bloody taste on her mouth she turned away, preparing to head to Ame.

The sound and smell of rain followed her back, leaving her skin icy and her hands shaking slightly from shivering, droplets of rain slid down her cheeks, making it look like she was crying.

Funny thing, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

**This story isn't finished, your questions will be answered, I apologize for spelling errors I've been up all night, and I'm very tired. **

**-Sakura-Centric**


	3. A Hateful Kind of Promise

_**Go Home, Sasuke**_

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_Chapter Three; a Hateful Kind of Promise_

**Ame Pub, 8:45 PM.**

Sakura sat in the pub, her usual spot on such nights, emotionally exhausted, annoyed, not in the mood for conversation, but something about alcohol cured all that, if only for a couple of hours. The potency of alcohol could do wanders no therapy possible could.

Alcohol made the silent speak, made the aches and pains of life dull, numbed the most shaken of people, brought genuine smiles to the broken. It was safe to say, Sakura Haruno enjoyed drinking, a little more than an intelligent medic should. Well- more than any intelligent person should, _period._

She closed her eyes and savored the sound of the vibrant tempo that shook the floor, of the heavy hanging smoke in the air that invaded her senses, the sounds of laughter and conversation making a constant static to drown out her thoughts.

"Where've you been Taiga?"

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the elderly bartender's voice, she had become a regular here, so they tended to see each other a lot, and on rare occasion, would have lengthy discussion, although he always called her by her aliases, Taiga. She had become so use to being called that, sometimes she had trouble remembering it wasn't her real name.

"Around. How are you feeling today, Taiko? Your joints causing you any more pain?"

"No, thank you so much for the arthritis cream, Taiga. It's made a world of difference in these old bones!" The old man smiled, laughing freely as if he weren't working in one of the scummiest bars in a village almost completely made up of rogue nin, governed by the Akatsuki leader himself.

She smiled absentmindedly and took a harsh gulp of Sake, a light flush already touching her cheeks, the first bartender that worked here had made the infamous 'You've had enough' comment, and ended up through a wall. So that's where Taiko came in, calm old man, knew when to keep a secret, funny as hell, or maybe he wasn't… everything seemed kind of funny when you're drunk.

She closed her eyes once more, her head swaying left to right as she hummed along with the familiar music in the background, enjoying the thrumming of her mind, the smell of rain and smoke on her skin, Sakura Haruno would survive tonight.

She hadn't had a breakdown like todays in ages, it all started when Sasuke made his appearance, damn him. Stupid Uchiha men, stupid Uchiha pride. Her fingers came to her lips scornfully; they still tingled from his touch.

_Hormones_, old hormones come to haunt her. Sakura had made a habit of seeking a physical touch when she broke down, _he_ did that to her.

When she was younger, she hated being so much as _touched _when she was upset, her mother would refer to it as 'little woman syndrome'. A humorous way to say that when you're small and fragile-looking you adopt a sort of… aggressive personality, and when people pity you for showing emotion, you lash out.

Now, on the very, very rare occasions her emotions were forced to surface she sought out comfort in the touch of another person, weather it be Kisame's brotherly affection, or that one night stand she'd had with Hidan, or what happened with Sasuke today. Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, not really concerned with what happened today.

Surely Sasuke understood that she couldn't care for him, as he couldn't care for her. He of all people would understand best what the life of a shinobi was. Besides that, she harbored no feelings toward the Uchiha, but a physical attraction, which was understandable, he was _attractive_, the godlike features came with the title 'Uchiha.'

"Hello there, kitten."

Sakura found herself smiling drunkenly at her close friend, who eerily resembled a shark, why hadn't she ever asked if he could breathe underwater? _He __**does**__ have gills, I bet he can._ She thought, completely ignoring the fact that Kisame was now talking to her, yammering on and on about some grass Nin he had slaughtered, Sakura was never one to kill and tell.

"How did your mission go, kitten?" Kisame questioned as he asked the old bartender for a beer, who smiled and went off to fetch em' a cold one from the back, he'd grown used to the odd looking man over the years to where it didn't even phase him.

"I ran into Sasuke." She spoke nonchalantly, sipping her sake once more, not missing the incredulous look Kisame was shooting her through wide, pearl colored eyes, she sighed in irritation and inclined her head to the side, "You know Kisame, he didn't even attack me. No need worrying, you know I can handle myself." She snapped, her slender alabaster fingers circling the rim of her Sake bottle, which she was now glairing at childishly, a pout on he full lips, accenting the drunken flush on her cheeks, Kisame knew that look all too well.

"You told him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, there never was any beating around the bush with Kisame, if he wanted to say something, he said it. That was the nice thing about the shark-like man, he would say what needed to be said, even if it made him the asshole in the situation, which was just the way he was; brutally, _brutally_ honest.

She shrugged, sipping from… what was this? Her second? Third, maybe, bottle of Sake. Eyes closed in deep thought, or most likely trying to ignore the intense glare coming from the man beside her, "He had a right to know, so I told him." She said, looking down at her bottle of Sake once more, eyes swimming with some unreadable emotion.

_Although I wish I hadn't had to…_

**Ame Inn, 10:12 PM.**

Sasuke stared at the ceiling, hair still dripping from the hot shower he had just taken, the breathy moans from his Hebi teammate drowned out of his ears; the only remembrance of their night together was the dull ache in his abdomen. Karin was a liability; she was incompetent in battle and a nuisance to have around, but a good play thing to have at his disposal, nothing more, and nothing less.

Hebi hadn't disbanded, none of us really had anywhere to go, so what was the difference in staying together or not? It was for mere luxury, the more of us, the better chances we all have when attacked, the better chances we have of escaping hunter Nin and ANBU. The higher odds we have and the lower stakes, the better.

The night of sexual pension being released had turned the screaming in his mind into a silent echo, Sasuke Uchiha, was admittedly scum amongst the world, not because he had betrayed his village, not because of the people he had killed in cold blood, but because he had failed to kill his brother, and now the chance of ever re-gaining honor was ripped away from him.

There was something else scratching at the back of his mind, a longing. To _touch_ her, to taint her with his touch, he was spiraling into the abyss and wanted nothing more than to drag the angelic pinkette down with him.

His lips still tingles with the sensation of her kiss, nothing Karin's sloppy, needy lips could administer, oh no. Sakura's kiss was something he'd never experienced something hateful, yet gentle at once, so much malice and care. All he knew was that he wanted _more._

More unsheathed hatred and care packed into one, darkness and light thrown together, bloodshed and healing thrown into a pair of lips, something that instantly brought heat to his loins; she was an angel, a dark, sadistic, bloody fucking angel.

And he wanted her screaming his name, weather in pain or pleasure he wasn't sure yet, perhaps both. He needed to find her, _now._

As he stood from his seat, he look one last glance at the naked woman lying beside him, heavily cast into sleep from the hours of intercourse, angry, unsatisfying intercourse.

He stood and paced about the room, he would trail her chakra, he decided, slipping on his clothing and disappearing through the window, something running through his blood akin to adrenaline and ecstasy at the thought of finding the pinkette.

**Ame apartment complex, 11:37 PM.**

Her chakra was oddly potent tonight, as if she knew he would be searching for her, although it seemed she had stopped several places tonight, the market, the weaponry shop, that damned pub where he had first found her, and then her chakra lead him to a large, ongoing two-story apartment complex, it appears she didn't bother with the front door, simply using the balcony instead, where her chakra lead me straight to.

His mind had shut down and gone on auto-pilot, all he knew was that he wanted her, he wanted to touch her once more, and he didn't care how he had to get to her. She caused this, she had taken everything from him, so tonight, Sasuke would claim everything that was _her._

His face a serine stoic as he landed gracefully on the flat stone surface of her balcony, noticing it was completely bare, excluding a patio set with two simple, cushioned black chairs and a whicker table, all soaked to the core with rain, much like his clothing, that now clung to his skin, his long black hair just barley tumbling over his shoulder in wet spikes.

He slid the sliding glass door open, the protesting creak telling him that Sakura didn't choose to live a life of luxury. He stepped into the living room, clothing dripping onto the carpet below, leaving circles of dampened color wherever they touch.

He could see the silvery tendrils hanging over the back of the couch, she didn't move, didn't speak a word, she knew he was coming. He couldn't see her face, but he could see her subtle movements, hear her calm breaths in the air, smell the floral scent of her flesh, mixed with the smell of coppery blood and Sake, something he'd been longing for.

"Sakura." The words rolled of his tongue, making a shiver run up her spine, his voice was dark, baritone and powerful, his words were silent orders. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of spices and blood, adrenaline pumping through her veins as his footsteps neared. His chakra whirled and spiked and thrashed, as if trying to break free of his body and attack her.

Her lips curled into a sinister smirk and she tilted her head skyward, parting her lips slightly as smoke curled from between then. Sasuke watched in fascination, but his focus was on his her lips, her _delicious_, pastel pink lips.

His sharringan activated as he appeared before her, eyes spinning wildly, his hand clamped around her throat, smirking at the surprised look on her face. The feel of her soft, milky skin beneath his hands was nothing compared to the feel of her lips as he crashed his over her own.

She responded almost instantly, hatred and needs fueling their intentions, a snarl from Sakura as Sasuke's teeth nipped at her collar bone, a groan from Sasuke as she dragged her fingernails down his back, blood dripped from the fresh wound. His grip on her throat tightened, surely leaving a bruise in place, she mewled and wrapped her legs around his hips.

He released his grip on her neck to grab her thighs, standing from his bent position and pulling her with ease up with him, his nails digging ferociously into her thighs, blood trickling between his fingertips as she cried out in pain, her hand twisting into his still damp locks.

His tongue snaked into her mouth and she _purred_, Sasuke Uchiha didn't ask, Sasuke Uchiha _claimed_, all Uchiha men took what they wanted. Her teeth nipped at his lower lip, Sasuke's blood staining her own as her back was slammed against a wall, Sasuke's grip on her thighs tightening, her hips pushed forward to grind against his, Sasuke let out a low, achingly sexy growl and his teeth sank into her shoulder.

"_Sasuke._" Her voice rang with hatred and promises of pleasure, his teeth sank so deeply into his shoulder her blood began seeping into his mouth, a burning fire in his abdomen as she gripped his shoulders and gasped, his mind had shut down the second he entered. All that was left was animal instinct, his eyes crimson and spinning in blind fury as he lent back, licking the trickle of his blood from the corner of Sakura's lips as she lent forward to lick her own from his.

Her shoulder was still a steady stream of blood, adding on to the adrenaline and haze in her mind. Sasuke radiated power, darkness, and pure insanity. Her delicate looking fingers twisted into the white cloth of his shirt, ripping it apart in one tug. Already nearly in shreds from Sakura's nails draping down his back.

Whatever this was… It wasn't love, it wasn't lust. Just anger, agony, and _pleasure. _

Sasuke's grip on her tightened and he pressed himself closer to her, his clothed manhood pressing hard against her, her moan of pleasure was something he would never forget. Her fingers fisted into her hair as she pulled his head closer, he didn't object and deepened the kiss, his tongue swiping and rubbing against her own, claiming every crevice of her mouth.

A kunai appeared in his hand and in one quick movement he had sliced through Sakura's mesh shirt and bindings, her perky globes bouncing free, they were the absolutely most perfect breasts Sasuke had ever laid eyes on, he bent his head forward and traced her areola, she gasped and arched her back, pushing her chest to his mouth.

He smirked as his tongue swiped across her hardened nipple, she practically screamed in ecstasy, and his hand clamped deeper onto her thigh, nails digging in to already bleeding, bruising handprints he'd placed moments before.

"Say my name." His words were harsh, demanding, a powerful growl.

She moaned as his hands came to her breasts, keeping her pinned against the wall using the pressure from his hips, which were still grinding into her, clouding her mind and making her want more, more feeling, more pain, more touch. His fingers pinched and tweaked her nipples, a hot tongue ravishing her neck with open-mouth kisses.

"Say it." He warned, his fingers coming to rest between her legs, stroking her clothed womanhood, finger moving in a 'come-hither' motion, his tongue swiped at her nipple once more, before he closed his mouth over the peak, lapping and sucking and lavishing. '

"_**Sasuke**_!" The words were ripped from her throat, her mind completely gone, her hands fisted into his hair pulling some inky strands out in the process, she grinded against his fingers and arched her back. Chakra spiked in her hands and Sasuke was thrown onto his back, but he twisted them in the air, gracefully twirling her beneath him so that her back slammed into the floor, the thud aching through the apartment was delicious.

His hand rested beside her had, propping himself up over her, she stared up at him with fierce clouded jade eyes, her eyes narrowed, scanning and catching every one of his movements, but he watched her equally, crimson eyes illuminating his face darkly, inky locks touching her cheeks as he stared at her, a moment of silence between the two was more intimate than Sasuke had ever experienced, just jade and crimson clashing in a fierce battle of dominance.

"I hate you, Sasuke."

"I hate you too, Sakura."

His lips were hot over hers, her hands slipping down his chest, his fiery skin burning her fingertips. Her finger looped around the sound nin uniform's purple rope-like belt, untying it with one harsh tug, a smirk absentmindedly placed on her lips as Sasuke groaned, her fingers slipping with the loose band of his pants to stroke his length.

He did away with Sakura's pants, tossing them somewhere unimportant within the room, leaving her in a pair of simple pale pink panties, white lace outlining the edges, but what caused him to raise an eyebrow, was the chibi tiger on the front, but after a hard glare he found himself smirking, ripping them away in one tug, the expression on her face, however, told him she didn't enjoy having her underwear torn apart.

In an instant his pants had also disappeared, and with one rough shove, he was inside of her, his eyes widened and his teeth clenched, a muttered curse under his breath, she was _tight. _She cried out in pain mixed pleasure as he began harshly thrusting in and out of her, her breasts bouncing at every push and shove, the movements that went through them were all bites, scratches, bruising grips and snarls.

This wasn't love, this wasn't sex, this was what happened when you threw together two horrifically powerful, traumatized people with a dark past twisting them together. This was feeling, forcing pain and pleasure together just to feel something, to feel alive.

This was the cost of their mistakes, and they hated each other for it.

**Konoha, Hokage Tower, 12: 15 AM.**

An annoyed snarl came from Tsunade's direction, her honey toned eyes glistening with the luster of a tired drunk, her cheeks slightly flushed. She stared at the bear-masked ANBU who apparently had something to say that was just _so important_; Shizune thought she would drag Tsunade out of the pub _just_ when she was about to kick Jariya's ass.

"Shizune, this better be important." Tsunade huffed, seeing the fearful glint in her apprentice's eyes. The brown haired woman let out a huff, but her resolve didn't diminish, she turned to the masked Hunter Nin, a privy ANBU with an impressive resume, she trusted his word.

"Tell him what you saw, Izaya."

"Yes, Miss Shizune." He bowed respectively, on other circumstances she would have blushed at the honorific gesture, but this was serious, what he was bout to say would change almost everything that had been thought about the disappearance of Sakura Haruno three years ago.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0oooo0000o0o0o0o 000o0o0o0oo0o00o**

**Read and Review. **

**Things will start making sense in the next chapter, be excited.**

**-Sakura-Centric.**


	4. Curse of Zanbato

_**Go Home, Sasuke**_

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_**WARNING: **_Okay, A) I did tell you all this fic would have dark themes and sexual references. What I didn't explain was that there was a bit of other pairings, just hints, nothing special. This is a Sasusaku-centric fic. A bit morbid at first, but things will be changing in the next couple of chapters. Don't like it? Suck my dick, I didn't ask you to read it.

_Chapter Four; Curse of Zanbato_

**Ame apartment complex, 4:19 AM.**

_**Rain pelted her ferociously, her breathing more ragged than she could ever remember it being, it was like every breath burned in her chest, the lump in her throat would not go away, her heart was hitting her rib cadge like it was trying to break through her ribs, tears burned her eyes. **_

_**Every step shook through her entire body, wracking more pain through her broken and bloody form. Her clothing nearly burnt to shreds from the explosion, she didn't mean to pack so much C4 into the scroll, she must have overshot it. **__I hope everyone's alright… __**She thought, her shoulder-length pastel locks swirling around her like a halo. Her vision was burning from the wind hitting her eyes.**_

_**She could hear the shouts from the village, and see the smoke from the blaze. She made sure no one was in her apartment complex before she had activated the exploding seal. **_

_**Her fingers raked through her hair, her pulse going wild, she closed her eyes, trying to stabilize her breath, but it just wasn't working, her hands shook, she looked down at her broken, bandaged arm, it was easy to say she wasn't ready for this. Not by a long shot. Her medical skills weren't as honed as she'd hoped. And she was just getting the hang of Tsunade's training, damn. Her eyes filled with unspoken determination and she doubled in speed. **_

_**She made her choice. There was no going back now…**_

_**She paused as she felt familiar chakra presence flair back in the village, her eyes watering with unshed tears, "I'm sorry Naruto…"**_

Sakura bolted upright from the dream… the distant memory she didn't need at this moment, why is it she couldn't go a night without her past coming back to haunt her… That day, that was the day her fate had been set in stone.

Her sea-foam colored eyes shifted to the black haired male, now fully awake, and fully naked. Lying beside her, his crimson eyes in a daze. She couldn't help the achingly familiar feeling of mourning, he had matured… he looked so familiar to Itachi, yet so different.

His crimson eyes glowed in the darkness, his stoic expression was enough to bring a bitter smile to her face, her skin was bruised and bitten, her lips swollen and a dull ache between her legs. Someone didn't have to witness it to know what went on here. She noticed they were lying on the floor of her living room, tangled in her satin blue sheets, her silvery strands came to wrap around her form like a curtain as she lent up, the sheet sliding down to her hips.

Her eyes were cold, a kind of sorrow swimming in them. She felt… somehow, warmer, the sounds of rain pummeling against her sliding glass door was welcome to her ears, Sasuke remained silent, watching her pluck a cigarette from it's pack, he never thought Sakura would be one to smoke, being a medic and all.

She reached over from the mess of blankets, her body still looking achingly angelic, her long silvery tresses sliding over her breasts, shielding her for modesty. Her eyes were serine today, he noted. He pushed back the strain in his chest, the flesh on his back was almost tender, eyes sore from having the sharringan activated most of the night, the second the rich smell of smoke hit his nose he closes his eyes, enjoying the light tune she hummed, the same painfully sad song she had consoled him with when she subdued his curse mark, he hardly even knew it was there now, not having to fight to keep it under control any longer was a luxury.

"You're going to die." Her voice came out in a silent, angelic tone, he couldn't deny that the word die seemed strained, and his curiosity peaked, but he only sighed, continuing to lie in his comfortable position on the floor.

"Hn,"

"You are a genetic time bomb." She said slowly, examining the cigarette in her hand as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Her eyes were dull, but specks of emotion swirled in their depth, Sasuke didn't seem to notice thought, as his eyes were still closed, a hint of peace on his features.

"Oh?"

A humorless laugh escaped her lips, "No medic could save you."

His attention was caught, and before he could catch himself, the words slipped past his lips, even he was unsure of where they had come from. "Would you not?"

"No."

That simple answer was what chided Sasuke to open his eyes, her back was facing him, her bare, alabaster back; he reached forward, brushing the insanely long strands of pastel hair over her shoulder, why? He didn't know, but it was an action he didn't regret, not yet, at least.

"What is this?" He questioned blankly, tracing the scar, it was a kanji, meaning 'pain'. Deep, and marred. Sasuke hadn't much medical training, but he knew it was a deep, concentrated scar. Dark purple, he could feel the knots and niches in it.

"A present, from your brother." She spoke, her words slowly sank into his mind, and Sasuke felt his jaw tighten, he didn't attack, as even he himself expected, he just sank back and closed his eyes, his brother was _dead_, that didn't mean the shame and anger would die with him, however.

"What were you to _him_?" Sasuke said, voice coated in pure malice, but his voice was level, threatening, cold, demanding. Everything she **once** believed Itachi to be, a sad, curt smile curled at her lips and she snuffed out the cigarette, feeling sick to her stomach.

"I'll never know, he's dead." She spoke, the words harsh and silencing. Sasuke had never heard her speak like this, although, she's _not _who she used to be. How did she end up here? How did she meet his brother? How- how did she end up like _this_?

Questions, that's all that swam in his mind these past few days, all directed towards her and his brother, why he cared, he didn't know. His revenge was stolen, what would he gain from this woman? Why was he still here?

All questions that remained unanswered.

Her hands shook softly as her mind reeled, she could feel the scar burning, as if to remind her she was tainted, ruined, that she could never be the woman she once was, that perhaps she never had been. A tear threatened to fall, but she refused to cry in front of Sasuke ever again. He didn't _deserve_ her tears.

Sasuke stood in naked glory, before reaching towards his torn Kimono and pants, he still adorned his sound nin uniform, not out of favor, simply because he didn't care enough to change it.

Sakura watched silently, she wasn't about to protest, but the sight of him leaving caused the constant dull ache in her chest to slow slightly, and a new ache began again, she curled a fist over her mouth to stifle the string of coughs escaping her lips, her lungs were burning.

She stood without a second glance to the young Uchiha and made her way to the small bathroom in the two door hallway, leaning over the porcelain sink, coughing until the metallic taste filled her mouth, and she spit the wad of blood that had been begging to get out onto the porcelain, staring at it with wary eyes.

She heard the back door slide shut, and rested her forehead against the rim of the sink, taking a few shaky breaths. She deserved this for smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for the past four years. Stupid Shikamaru getting her hooked on the things…

She sighed and wiped the droplets of sweat from here forehead, looking at her naked form in the mirror with a sad, twisted smile, her eyes glinting with unshed tears.

"Itachi, why couldn't I save you?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo000o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0o**

**Fuck, I am so tired. Sorry this is such a late update, I've been working on other fics, If any of you have read 'Rogue' I'm updating it next, sorry for the wait. **

**-Sakura-Centric**


	5. Drinking Partners

_**Go Home, Sasuke**_

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_Chapter Five: Drinking Partners_

**Ame, South wing, Inn, 8:15 PM.**

"Sasuke-Sama, Where will we go next?" Jugo questioned the still silent Uchiha who was staring off into the mass of forest from the outer balcony of his penthouse sweat. His crimson eyes were hard, unreadable, his stance perfect, large hands over his waist, watching the stars.

"I do not know." He responded, his voice a smooth baritone, he eyed the orange haired man from the corner of his eye, watching the way he moved, the large man's gentle steps and fluid motions, and although he was a head taller than Sasuke himself, Sasuke felt no intimidation from the large man, knowing him to be a gentle soul, pitiful, but gentle. He'd always favored Jugo, considering he was silent, knew when to speak and when not to.

"Sasuke-Kun! I wanna' go out tonight, we've been doing nothing for_ two days_!"

Ah yes, Karin, who wouldn't know when to shut up if Kami slapped her in the mouth. Sasuke didn't bother to look at the redhead, knowing she was there. He could smell the thick, caramel scented perfume she wore. It was too sweet, too unnatural. Too thick. She was nothing like Sakura, Sakura's scent was light, floral and earthy, like the forest after falling rain, innocent, pure.

Nothing Karin could classify herself as, her promiscuity already forgot to look the gift horse in the mouth, not that she had the smarts to do so in the first place, her mind was filled with ignorance and instability. She didn't have the smarts Sakura-

Why did he keep comparing everything to Sakura today? Why did nothing add up to her? It was undeniable that she was beautiful, intelligent, tactical, and strong. But it wasn't like she was anything special, she didn't posses a bloodline, or any kind of demon. She was a type of woman easily found, despite her exotic features, although why on earth would he want pink-haired heirs?

Where did that come from? He didn't need to have children any time soon, true, he needed to begin to rebuild his clan but he was still young, merely twenty-one. Besides, he's yet to find a woman worthy of bearing his child, she would need to be able to protect his children, and himself if need be. A formidable bloodline would be nice as well.

Sasuke heaved a sigh and turned to face the redhead, who now looked at him with that crushed expression, seeing as Sasuke didn't respond to her but, was outside talking with Jugo instead. Sasuke paid no mind and pushed her aside, grabbing his katana from the top of his bed, before turning to his teammates who were standing there looking at him with a confused expression, he simply shrugged and turned away, not bothering to spare a second glance.

Something inside him told him to travel to the pub once more before he left. He had to leave, he couldn't stop thinking about the pinkette, he didn't need a distraction, especially one from the woman who singlehandedly stole his reason for life.

As he walked through the hallways of the Ame inn, he truly wandered what it would have changed if someone else were to have killed his brother. Would he have slaughtered them out of spite? It certainly sounded like something Sasuke Uchiha would do. What makes his former comrade different? Was she not the nuisance she once was when she was a young woman? Always pestering and nagging him, weather in physical form or mental?

His crimson eyes didn't miss a beat as he pushed through the crowds of people, it was quite strange how everyone here practically ignored the fact that it was constantly raining, and walked through the streets as if enjoying a warm summer day with a light breeze, most of them didn't even bother to carry an umbrella, just allowing the rain to pelt them and not batting an eyelash at it, Sasuke, being the kind of man he was, didn't carry in umbrella for the simple reason that he was an Uchiha, and had been pelted with so many powerful Jutsu's that some mere rain was nothing to him.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of the streets, not as clear and natural as in the forests of Amegakure, the scent of rain was covered by the smells of smoke from the abundance of pubs, and the musk of thick perfume as he passed the occasional brothel or casino. It was as if this village was created to harbor solely criminals.

Perhaps it was. Sasuke couldn't help but notice the amount of weaponry stores and ninja whom seemed to have abandoned their village; some went as far as to actually wear two headbands, one from a foreign village, slashed of course. And one from Ame, their loyalty was certainly in question, Sasuke himself had never seen a person wear two hiates.

Sasuke ducked to avoid the tent of an oncoming fruit stand, snarling at the fact he had to lean forward due to the low height of its rim. An older man who seemed to notice this apologized imminently and raised the rim so that it was out of the tall Uchiha's path.

Second guessing, seeing as the stand looked quite age worn and perhaps even custom made to the constant weather in Ame, he turned on his heels and approached the small man, who didn't even seem startled by the spinning sharringan eyes now peering down into his very soul.

"Hello young man. Might I interest you in-"

"I have no use for your wares. I will however, pay for a bit of information." He cut off, his voice a charming baritone, not nearly as menacing as he would have been with anyone else, seeing as the elder man was most likely desensitized by the amount of rogue ninja in this area.

"I'm sorry young man, but I don't have the information you're looking for." He spoke, his tone final and the defiant glint in his wrinkled Hazelnut eyes telling the Uchiha man that he would not give in to his fetal attempts to pull information from him. _Definitely desensitized. _

"It's on a pink haired woman from this area, she is my relative and I am looking for her." He lied, her Sharringan eyes spinning as he considered the thought of making the man tell him, but he didn't feel like causing a scene as some people had already given sharp glances to the old man whom looked ready to once again deny the Uchiha, when his eyes softened.

"Lady Taiga?" He stated, the Uchiha man nodded and stared down at the old man who looked to be in his early eighties, he pointed to a small shack of a home behind him that was wedged between two large metallic buildings, Sasuke took this as a silent request to follow, and did just that.

Once they were inside the older man shut the door behind them and plopped down into a chair that was seated by the door, motioning to yet another that Sasuke himself took a seat in, crossing his arms to stare at the older man.

The elder sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, "Young man, I know you aren't a relative of our Lady Taiga, and if you are here to harm her, I must warn you her strength is beyond any shinobi I have ever seen in my many years. This village was lost until she arrived here with that young man, the young man I am sure you are looking for." He stated, a hardness glinting in his hazelnut eyes as he raised them to level with the Uchiha, who said nothing, merely looked down at him through sharp, crimson eyes.

"If you are looking for him, he is dead. And if you are here for our Lady Taiga, this village would die protecting her. Some of the worst criminals here fear her. But for the few of us who came here because we had no where else to go, she is our guardian angel." He spoke, his voice calm and serine; the Uchiha had yet to say anything, but slowly raised himself from his chair, leaving without a word.

He didn't need to hear any more.

**Ame pub, 8:57 PM.**

She sat silently at the bar, sipping from her plate of sake, no one near her as she preferred solitude, just as he remembered her. He didn't move from the front door, knowing she knew he was here. His eyes cold and calculating as they fixed on the pinkette, no one else in the room would steal his attention from her.

She wore a pair of snug black pants, the bottom tucked into knee-high white boots, he couldn't see the her shirt, as she was covered in a traditional black haori, the kanji for 'serenity' embroidered in white on her back, her long locks hung in two loose pigtails, much like the fifth hokage.

He didn't dare approach her, not yet. Not until he had confirmation that she had noticed him, that if she did notice him, that she would acknowledge him, if not, he would walk out the doors of this loathsome pub and never step foot into this cursed village once more.

He watched as one of her smooth hands came to the air, slowly spreading into a small, acknowledging wave he knew was meant for him, as his eyes bled crimson he stepped forward, stride powerful and commanding, as an Uchiha's stance should be as he fluidly slipped into the seat beside the kunoichi who slid a secondary cup of sake in his direction, a quirk of his lips followed, _She's been expecting me._

"Thought you would have left by now." She spoke tiredly, raising the china glass to her lips as she took a long drink of the warm liquid.

The raven haired male arched an eyebrow as he sipped the lukewarm liquid, "Eager to see me gone?" He questioned, watching as the beautiful features of her face twisted into somewhat of a sneer, _you spent years chasing after me, after all…_

She paused and raised her eyes to the ceiling, the sneer wiped off her alcohol-flushed face as she took on a more thoughtful serine kind of look, her nose crinkling slightly in thought as it always did, "I suppose not." She spoke quietly, closing her eyes to take another sip of sake.

"You seem relaxed, what makes you so sure I didn't come here to kill you?" He questioned pointedly, knowing himself that it wasn't his cause, just curious of his reaction, which was to be expected, a bitter, aged laugh, face back in the twisted sneer that didn't suit her at all.

"I'm not saying I wouldn't blame you. But I'd probably be forced to fight back, and I advise you," She spoke lowly, eyes darkening as she peered at me through the corner of his eyes, "I wouldn't go down easily."

A short, humorless chuckle escaped his lips, "Hn. I suppose it's a good thing I didn't come here to do such things then." He spoke calmly, taking a long sip from his cup of sake, watching silently as she lent over to refill his cup, giving him a good waft of her floral scent, mixed with the scent of rain which hung constantly in the air here.

"I suppose it is, I wouldn't want to have to kill a former comrade." She spoke, staring down absentmindedly into the glass before her, not entirely knowing what to make of the situation she had drowned herself into with the somber Uchiha beside her, She couldn't even find the drive to look him in the eye… those crimson sharringan eyes, so different from _his_.

"Does Naruto know of your disappearance?" He questioned, watching from the corner of his eye, gauging her expression, resisting the urge to snarl at the light smile that touched her pale pink lips, even her small smiles lit up the room, but that wasn't what bit at him, it was that the smile was _sincere_ and _fond_, not like the forced, bitter smiles she had offered him.

"I've been gone for nearly five and a half years now, but I've kept some tabs on the knucklehead, seems he's on his way to becoming Hokage, even engaged to Hinata. Bout' time he noticed her." She chuckled blandly, taking another drink before refilling her glass once more; she bent over and did the same to his, although his was nearly to the rim of the cup anyway.

"Aa." He grunted, sipping absentmindedly at the cup before him, he would never admit it, but somehow it lifted a bit of the weight from his shoulders knowing the dobe was actually doing something good with his life, despite the wronging of _both_ his teammates.

"And your parents, what do you think your defection did to them?" He questioned, watching as the sake cup she was once lifting to her lips froze half-way, and she let out a sigh, her bangs falling over her eyes, hiding them from his predatory gaze.

"You and Naruto… You both said you had a bond I could never understand, because you were both _alone_, ne?" She questioned, and he felt his eyebrow rise in silent question, a bit annoyed she would bring it up in the first place, but when he noticed she wasn't continuing, he offered a soft grunt. Yet to realize he'd unconsciously let his eyes slowly drift back to onyx.

"My father was a blackops, and when the Kyubi attacked, he was killed trying to protect the Fourth Hokage. That's… that's why I…" She said, the cup of sake in her hand trembling slightly, droplets sloshing onto the smooth counter top, Sasuke noticed this, and with a caring had he didn't even know he could control he gently took it from her hand, placing it before her, the gears in his head clicking as he realized where she was going with this, "That's why you were so resentful to Naruto." He finished, watching her suck in a shaky breath and nod.

"My mother was a civilian, apparently she didn't realize how high the chances of her losing my dad were, ninja die all the time. It's a fact of life. But she was never the same after it, she became an alcoholic. Do you remember the two weeks I was absent at the academy?" She questioned suddenly, as she took another long drink from her cup, refilling it instantly, and calling to the elderly bartender for another, a heavy flush touching her cheeks.

"Hn." Sasuke replied, trying his best to take in the information given to him, he'd seen the pinkette a lot as a child- although now that he thought about it… he'd never actually seen a parent, or even another adult with her. A pang of guilt hit him, but disappeared as soon as it came, death was a part of life, _especially for a shinobi_.

"She had drank herself to death, I came home from the academy, it was the day we were doing target practice, I- I remember because I hit all the targets, and I thought I would finally got your attention," She laughed bitterly, "but when I came home, my mother was on the living room floor, dead in her own vomit." She sighed, her eyes slightly cloudy, but as dry as the sands in Suna, if she were the girl she had once been- she would be in tears right now, trying to get Sasuke to comfort her.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Her emerald eyes slowly widened, and she turned to the man beside her, who was looking at her with striking _onyx _depths. _He- he doesn't have his sharringan activated. _She thought, a small smile touching her lips, and for the first time in a very, very long time a little bit of the weight that crushed her shoulders so long ago.

She just sighed with a bright smile, Sasuke was however, not amused. "_Why didn't you tell us,_ Sakura?" He repeated, his tone more pointed than last time.

"I didn't… I didn't want you and Naruto to sympathize with me. I wanted you to accept me because you two thought of me as friends." She said softly, a small smile of remembrance as she looked down into the cup in her hands, turning it softly as she eyed it, as if something in that cup could bring her the peace she so desperately craved.

Sasuke was in awe of her words, She, who followed him around as a child, hopelessly ignoring her training to ask him on silly dates, she who was constantly smiling and trying to get Team Seven to finally become a team, She, who never once implied that her father had been killed in the name of Naruto's father, and seen her mother slowly poison herself. It just didn't seem real. It was strange; she never acted as if something was-

"What's with all the questions, Sasuke? You're normally not this talkative." She sighed, placing down the cup to stare at it irritably, had something he said offend her?

He let out a long sigh, pondering how he should respond to that, to which he offered a simple 'Hn' for one, not being very good at social situations that required him to do anything but give proper orders, and two, he really didn't have anything to say to that. His teammate had always bee confusing to him.

"Aah. Anything else you'd like to ask tonight, seeing as you've already taken a kind of liking to poke into my personal affairs." She sighed, her shoulders slumping, she knew exactly what he was going to ask, it was his brother, he had a right to know. She had no right withholding information like that from him, it just wasn't fair.

Sasuke thought for a moment, before a sigh crossed through his lips, "Why did you do it? Why did you leave the village?"

She looked stunned by his question, and he knew why, she expected him to ask about his brother, and while he really, really wanted to know… he wouldn't push that. This girl had taken so much grief her entire life without a single harsh word to him or Naruto, he would give her the small casualty of not having to lie herself down bare before she was ready, but that didn't mean he wouldn't pry at other subjects, she still had to give him _some_ answers, she owed him that small casualty as well.

"I think, in a way, I wanted what you wanted." She began slowly, the cup of sake in her hands once more as she took a slow sip from it, her full lips slightly moist from the alcohol, "I wanted to run away from my problems, to prove myself. But- I didn't have what you or Naruto had, I don't have a tailed beast or a bloodline to make me valuable, so if I was going to become strong, I had to find someone willing to train someone with nothing special over her head besides some medical training and good chakra control." She sniggered, her face flushed with alcohol and concentration.

"I see." Was the lone Uchiha's reply as he sipped the drink before him, it was a strange feeling, not like he expected it would be like, he expected to see her, burst into uncontrollable rage and attack, but he simply felt hallow, much like the woman beside him, they were simply old shinobi, having a drink as they reminisced.

Nothing more, and nothing less.

She seemed content to sit and drink with the Uchiha in silence, cursing her medical training that caused her chakra to purge most of the alcohol from her system, she however, had drank enough to get a decent buzz, and was enjoying the fuzziness of the room around her.

The Uchiha himself was quite buzzed, but aware of his surroundings, he would never allow himself into a state where he would be at a disadvantage, the pinkette beside him, however, seemed to have no qualms drinking until she couldn't tell the difference between a kunai and her left boot.

"You know," She started softly, her usually achingly sorrowful eyes now somewhat serine, not happy, but peaceful, "It's becoming less of a burden to be around you, Sasuke." She spoke softly, not looking at him, but not wanting to, she didn't need to.

He sighed and nodded, "You too, Sakura, you too."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Dear lord I've been up all night. I'm dyyyying. Bleh. Anywhoo, enjoy this update, please review, let me know _**someone**_** out there is still reading this.**

Oh, and if you have any questions or requests or something, feel free to PM me, I don't bite. Plus, this story isn't really as popular as a few of my other ones, so I usually get around to updating it after I've done the rest, sorry, it's just the way I work, anyway, if you wanted to see something or whatever, or really wanted an update, just PM me, or whatever. 

**-Sakura-Centric**


	6. Home

_**Go Home, Sasuke**_

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_Chapter Six: Home_

**Ame apartment complex, 12:52 AM.**

Smoke hazed around the ceiling of the bare hallway, emerald eyes stared intently at the curling white wallpaper of the room around her as she stood in the small hallway, which had two doors, one leading to the bathroom… the other, to _that _room, the room she hasn't stepped foot in for nearly a year.

Her hands brushed along the cold wood, and she rested her forehead against it, sliding down the surface of the door before dropping to her knees, tears filling her eyes, she had that dream again, the same dream that plagued her sleep ever since _that_ night… Itachi's headband curled in her delicate fingers as she broke down, her breaths ragged as she cried out in anguish.

Why… _why _did this keep happening to her? Either everyone she loved fell before her in battle, or left her. Was she just meant to be this miserable? Did she even have a right to feel like this? It was after all, her fault. Her fault Itachi was gone, her fault Sasuke was so broken, her fault, her fault_, her fault_. The words echoed through her mind every moment she was alive. She couldn't burn the memories away, not matter how hard she tried. They just wouldn't go away. Kami, why wouldn't they go away…

She closed her eyes, a shaky breath escaping as a string of hacking coughs erupted, she cupped a hand over her mouth, eyes watering as crimson blood oozed from between her fingers, she deserved this for smoking a pack of cigarettes a day since she was fifteen.

She sighed and rolled onto her back, "It's just a door… but it feels like as soon as I enter that room… my world will fall apart." She whispered into the darkness, which gave no answer, but that was to be expected, it never did. She slowly outstretched a hand above her, her heart giving a painful clench, the alcohol in her system making her vision blurry, the running mascara from her tears was partially at fault as well.

"Itachi… why won't you come home?" She whispered her voice hoarse and forced as she tried to reach out to him, but he was so far away… untouchable, he wasn't coming back, not for her, not for anyone. He was gone; he wasn't a part of this world anymore.

She curled into a ball, her heart straining as she pulled her knees to her chest, her anguished wails the only noise in her dark apartment as she cried out to him, wishing just for once that he would appear and console her, as he had done so many times before…

_Sobs echoed through the empty apartment as a girl with short candy colored locks laid on the bed before her, blood staining her hands as she sobbed on the white couch in her living room, shaking uncontrollably with shame… _

_She'd taken a man's life today… and __**for what**__? What reason did he have to die? Simply because he'd seen something he wasn't supposed to, because he'd been at the wrong place at the wrong time… she had to act like she didn't hear his cries of mercy and pleads, she had to pretend she hadn't been watching him the week prior, struggling to support his impoverished family because his wife was too sick to work and his children too young to toil.  
_

_She left that family to tend to itself…_

"Sakura." 

_She didn't raise her head at the familiar voice, or shift as arms wrapped around her, she soon found herself in the familiar lap a crimson-eyed man, he was cradling her to his chest lovingly, stroking her hair as his lips placed gentle kisses to the top of her head, he didn't say anything, he didn't need to. His presence alone was comforting her. He was here for her and that's all that mattered._

"Sakura. Death claims us all; you must accept what you have done. All actions in this world have consequence." He spoke gently, cradling her to his chest, allowing her tears to soak the red and black cloak of Akatsuki.

"Itachi… is this the consequence you spoke of? If so- is death even worth the blood on my hands?" His name ghosted on her lips as she fell into a drunken, painful sleep.

**Ame apartment complex, 2:53 AM**

The onyx haired Uchiha slipped through the back doors of her apartment complex soundlessly, rain once again clinging his clothing to his chest as he walked through the empty room, expecting the pinkette to be in her usual seat on that terribly uncomfortable couch, but when his crimson eyes noticed she wasn't lying there passively, he slowly drifted to the side, looking down the small hallway to find her curled up on the floor of the hallway, blood drying on the corner of her mouth and hands.

He bent down and swooped the sleeping pinkette into his arms, noticing her breathing was ragged, forced, he lowered an ear to his chest, hearing her breathing rumbling through her chest, and with a sigh he wordlessly shook his head, she needed to take better care of herself.

He carried her over to the couch, gently placing her down, placing a slender hand over her forehead, finding comfort in the fact she wasn't running a fever he draped a blanket over her, taking a seat at the end of the couch, noticing how she curled against him with a sigh.

For a moment he froze, unsure of what to do, he placed a hand atop her head, stroking the silky tendrils of pink hair, brushing her bangs back as his mother had done to him whenever he was sick or upset, she nuzzled forward, and he felt a small sigh escape her light pink lips.

Droplets of water dripped from his inky locks as he slowly raised his head to the ceiling, eyes soft and somber.

"I forgive you, aniki." **(A/N: 'aniki' means older brother.)**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Devastatingly short, I just wanted to put some stuff in before I went to sleep because some of you were kind enough to remind me you still read this story, thank you so much.

Oh, and yes, I follow the plot quite intently, but this wasn't meant to be cannon whatsoever. I'm sorry if that's what you wanted, we're far past that. :/

**-Sakura-Centric**


	7. Painful Existence

_**Go Home, Sasuke**_

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_Chapter Seven; Painful Existence_

**Ame apartment complex; 9:15 AM**

Emerald eyes stared back at her from the other side of the mirror, they stared back at her intently, wearing the same pained expression she did. Every inch of pale skin visible as she stood before the mirror of her small apartment bathroom, her skin forming goose bumps as the cold air touched her still dripping skin.

The scowl on her face was evident as she looked over her naked form, a form most women would beg to have. She felt her teeth clench as she looked back to the scar, all she had to do was tilt her head, and she could see where he marked her, the kanji for 'pain' never ringing more true in her mind until now.

_The air was cold and whipped fiercely around the dainty pinkette, who lie bleeding and broken on the forest floor, panting desperately, her hands broken from creating powerful blows even past the point of her chakra running out, her small, raspy breathes were the only indication that she was alive._

"You are weak. Weakness will kill you, kunoichi." A smooth, baritone voice spoke from behind her, she would have raised her head, if she had any strength left in her body, so she simply offered a rude snort in response, wanting more than anything to offer an audible 'fuck you' to the Uchiha.

She could feel his crimson eyes leering at her, his footsteps crinkling the autumn leaves beneath his sandaled feet, she grunted in indication that she knew he was looking at her, and attempted to push herself up using the heel of her hands, crying out when her broken fingers splintered, face becoming instantly intimate with the ground.

"In battle, not knowing when to give up comes with a punishment." The Uchiha whispered, hands tearing the crimson shirt from her very back, she nearly cried out, but her throat was too dry to protest, she felt the tip of a kunai tracing along her back, not piercing the skin, almost like intimate touches. "I will not kill you, kunoichi, but I _**will**__ teach you the punishment of ignoring your limitations."_

She screamed as the tip of the kunai dug into her skin, sending adrenaline running through her broken and bleeding body, she attempted to scramble away, but his knee buried itself into the small of her back, keeping her forced into place, it dragged along her skin with no qualms, the tugging sensation numbed slightly at the adrenaline that shielded her from some of the pain, rawness flooding her as she felt the warm blood from her wounds dripping down her body, the tears in her eyes unmistakable.

His weight shifted and she felt herself being picked up bridal style by the older Uchiha, his eyes fixed forward as he flowed through the trees effortlessly with admirable speed, her short bubblegum locks whipping in the wind as she watched him with swollen, half-lidded, blurry eyes.

"You must know your limitations, kunoichi. The impossible isn't hard to reach for others, but those like yourself don't have such luck." 

A humorless laugh escaped her lips, and she reached forward, fingertips meeting her reflection in perfect sync. Her eyes closed as her fingers met the cool surface of the mirror, her opposite hand swimming through hand signs as she faced the mirror, as she opened her eyes she smiled, letting the genjustu bleed her world black.

…**..**

Bright lights met her, the festival was brightly lit, laughter filled the air and children ran by, the pinkette watched with peaceful emerald eyes, allowing the traditional crimson kimono to flow around her as she followed the children with her eyes, she felt a cool hand touch her shoulder, and turned around with a smile, her eyes meeting a soft onyx.

"Itachi." She breathed with a smile, outstretching a hand so it met with his cheek, his skin cool under her touch, his lips tugged into that small, rare smile he would always save specifically for her, and he chuckled lightly, raising his hands to reveal two sticks of colorful hanami dango in his hands, the pinkette felt moisture well in the corners of her eyes, and took the stick from Itachi with a sad smile, he didn't seem to notice however, of course he didn't… he was simply an illusion, after all.

"What do you want to do first, Sakura?" He questioned her softly, and she offered a small smile, taking his much larger hand into her own, which he squeezed softly, looking down into her eyes with that sad longing, it'd been there ever since they met, even in her own illusion Itachi Uchiha was a haunted man, she never could take away his pain.

When she said nothing, he tugged gently on her hand, leading her through the crowds of people rushing by, until they came to stand before the sight of a stand, the game was initially throwing balls into bowls of fish and if you landed one in you could keep it.

He looked over at her with those tender onyx eyes he would only show to her, and asked the vender for three balls, to which the vender smiled happily and handed them over to Itachi, who from there stepped back, and tossed the three together, each landing inside a different bowl in one swing.

She looked at him with a teary smile as he put a hand to the small of her back and lead her forward, her eyes teary as he spoke, but the illusion of Itachi was unaware of her heavy heart, "Pick whichever you like best." He said with a small smile he reserved only for her, more like a curl of the lips than a smile, but Sakura knew it was genuine.

As she picked a gold and black beta from one of the bowls, the vender scooped it into a baggie and handed it to the pinkette with a crinkled smile, Itachi then thanked the man and turned to place a soft kiss to the pinkette's forehead, his lips soft and touch gentle and loving, as it had been when he was alive.

"I-I love you, Itachi." Sakura whispered, her voice hoarse and forced, tears streaming freely down her alabaster cheeks as she cupped the cheek of the man before her, he smiled and bent down to place a kiss on her lips, but before he could reach her for contact, the genjustu dispersed.

…****

She stood there, hand still in place from where the illusion had once been, tears still streaming from her eyes as she dropped to her knees, ignoring the pain that spiked through her legs at the offending contact as she curled forward, fisting her hands into her pastel locks as she wailed in anguish, her heart feeling as if it were burning inside her chest.

The cries of anguish were inhumanly heartbreaking, the sounds of a woman who has lost her love. Sakura's cries died down to shallow sobs when she had nothing left to fight with, she simply curled against the white tiled floors of her bathroom, her bare skin chilled and now dry, her eyes puffy, red and burning from the tears as she lit a cigarette between her lips, her jade eyes glazed over and dead to the world.

Why? Why did Itachi let this happen to her? Itachi was always the one holding her up, even if the world was pitted against her…

_A loud knock sounded through Sakura Haruno's shabby apartment building, followed by another, however there was no reply; the figure outside the door must have grown restless, because he simply entered. His tall, lean figure casting shadows against the wall._

"Sakura?" A calm, baritone voice questioned, to which there was no response, his footsteps were loud and relaxed across the floors of her home, filled with silence as Itachi Uchiha appeared before the couch, a small pink haired girl curled up against it, face pressed into the cushions, his hand came down, long, slender white fingers ran through her hair, down her back soothingly as he took a seat at the end of the couch, removing her soaked shoes and socks before dropping his Akatsuki cloak and lying down beside her, his long, toned arms wrapping around her small, shivering frame and pulling her against his chest, resting his head atop her silky pink tresses.

"You'll get sick if you stay in wet clothing like this." His soft voice spoke as he placed soft kisses to the top of her head, today was the day she had come home to find her mother dead on the floor, and no matter how bad she tried to rationalize, she always ended up like this.

She offered a small grunt of acknowledgement and Itachi pulled her closer to him, his breath warm on the back of her neck as he nestled his head into the crook of her shoulder, his touch soft and caring as he soothed her shaking form, his body warm against hers.

"I'll be here for you if it is able of me, I swear." 

She felt fresh tears spill from her eyes, "Why aren't you here now, Itachi? Why did you let this happen? You swore you would always be here… but you let yourself get ripped away." She sobbed, curling into herself once more.

She stood as she heard the back door slide open, knowing instantly who it was as his chakra had flared. She tugged on a crimson silk robe, rubbing her eyes dry and applying a bit of healing chakra to disperse the redness before stubbing out her cigarette on the edge of the sink and making her way into her small living room, her steps shaky and forced as she came to face a drenched Sasuke Uchiha, his eyes a blazing crimson as he faced her, features stoic, yet with a kind of softness to him.

"I'm leaving." Were his only words as he stepped forward, an outstretched hand coming to gently cup her cheek, her emerald eyes dulling, she was used to loss. Especially where Uchiha's came into the picture, this was nothing new to her, but as he pulled her forward, and tenderly wrapped his arms around her frame, she felt her eyes widen.

"Ask me to stay." He whispered, but whatever answer she could have given him was undermined as she pressed her lips to his, a gentle kiss, different than the night before, it wasn't an animalistic need to feel as it had been the nights before, it was tender, Sasuke was intoxicated by her floral scent as she wound her hands together behind his neck as tugged him forward before they collapsed against the small white couch, he propped himself up on his palms, which rested on either side of the pinkette's head, never breaking the kiss, which was deepening with each moment that passed.

His tongue rubbed against hers softly, like a lover's caress, while she clutched a hand into his soft raven locks, dripping with moisture from the pouring rain. Thunder cracked in the background, lighting up the living room, casting shadows against the white walls. Sakura's pleased moan was when Sasuke began tugging off her robe, surprised to find nothing beneath.

Sakura's small hands pushed his own white kimono from his shoulder, the dripping fabrics leaving his skin moist and glistening, cracks of lightning giving them tantalizing views of each others naked forms.

Sasuke was slowly losing himself in the sensation of the slow and passionate action, but whatever he was feeling went far past just a physical attraction, he wanted to make her feel wanted, he wanted her to ask him to stay, he wanted Sakura Haruno.

She was fueled my sadness, by need and an emotion she wouldn't dare try to place as she desperately tried to ignore how kind and gentle Sasuke's touch had become, how his hands tenderly went over her body, leaving finger-light touches whereas he left bleeding tracks the night before.

As he pushed into her it was a gradual heightening of pleasure, instead of one powerful thrust. She felt a moan escape her lips as he began rocking back and forth, Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off her face, her eyes closed in pleasure, mouth slightly open, lips swollen and cheeks flushed, it was mesmerizing, striking feelings in his chest he'd never allowed himself to feel before, keeping a steady rhythm, he gently cupped her cheek, leaning down to place a kiss on her lips, hoping with everything inside him that it would show her just what he was feeling, because he doubted he'd ever be able to say it.

She stiffened a bit at the intensity of the touch, but slowly melted into it, her mind had shut down long ago, it was only her and Sasuke, and feeling right now.

**…..**

"Ask me to stay." Sasuke repeated once the two were lying in a tangle of sheets, her long hair mussed as the glow of her cigarette lit up the darkened room, the thunderstorm had ended, and she was ever so silent, irking Sasuke as to what she would be thinking.

When she looked at him did she really see him? Or did she wish to see his brother?

She stilled a bit, smoke pouring from her swollen lips; she remained silent, choosing not to say anything whereas she could have. She didn't know how she felt about this, the weight on her shoulders wouldn't allow her to forget, it wouldn't allow her to move on, but for some reason, Sasuke made the weight lighten a bit. Perhaps it was because Itachi wished so dearly for his brother to be happy, and it made Sakura feel closer to him to be around Sasuke.

"Sakura." He repeated slowly, noticing her silence, he placed a hand tenderly on her shoulder, noticing how she pulled away from his touch, a frown threatened to touch his stoic features, disappointment showing in his onyx eyes as he drew back to look at her, _really_ look at her.

Sweat glistened on her alabaster skin, her jade eyes cold and calculating as she sat up, the satin sheets pooling around her hips, silky tendrils of pastel hair covering her eyes. The raven-haired teen beside her watched the woman he adored face him, eyes void of all emotion, "Go home, Sasuke."

He drew back, stunned at her reaction, unable to recognize the woman before him whom he had made love to. No, Sasuke Uchiha did not fuck this woman, as he had nights before, he made love to her, and now she was pushing him away, this was not the tender, caring Sakura Haruno he had once thought he knew, no, this was someone else looking at him through her eyes.

As he stood, mechanically, shielding himself from any further disappointment, he felt a small hand with a very tight grip clutch around his hand, "I mean, go to wherever you see as home. Stop traveling with Hebi Sasuke- For once, just do what makes you happy." She whispered, her voice slightly hoarse, but her eyes filled with kindness, and he felt his heart beat a little faster.

He kneeled beside her, not stricken by his lack of clothing as his arms encircled around her form, pulling her up bridal style, pulling the sheet up with her, she looked like a goddess with the flowing white fabrics constricted across her alabaster skin, long silvery-pink tresses drifting around her, jade eyes wide with surprise as he took a seat on the couch, her resting in his lap, his body perfectly holding hers as if she were a missing puzzle piece.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" She questioned breathlessly as he rested his chin atop her head, his hands stroking through her silky pink tresses as he simply grunted, enjoying the floral scent that surrounded her, the addictive natural scent of rain and earth and beauty, she was perfect in every way he could imagine a woman.

"Sakura, you told me to go home, correct?" He questioned as he brushed her bangs back, staring intently down into her eyes, the intensity of his onyx depths nearly making her heart stop, and for once, she didn't see Itachi in him, he was Sasuke, plain and simple.

"Hai." She whispered, watching him tuck a stray hair behind her ear before pressing her against his chest in a gentle, yet demanding embrace, which she couldn't stop herself from leaning in to.

"Then ask me to stay, so I can be where I belong."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0**

Cheesy? Perhaps. But as a woman I know if any man ever said that to me I would tear up a bit. Lawl, anywhoo, hope you don't mind the lack of angst, I thought we could actually start falling into the original plot a bit so everything could actually get moving.

Reviews would be nice, tell me what you think about the romance vs. the angst.

-Sakura-Centric


End file.
